Health is Wealth

While the terms health coaching and wellness coaching are bandied about equally, the general consensus among professionals is that they’re pretty interchangeable with wellness perhaps focusing on health as well as more holistic issues such as mindfulness.

Essentially, health coaching includes wellness, nutrition, fitness, self care, while wellness coaching also encompasses the same aspects that encourage people to surround themselves with healthy relationships, a decrease in stress, and an increase in spirituality.

“Both health and wellness involve taking care of oneself and committing to a better quality of life in all areas while being the best you can be,” she says.

Who can benefit? Because health and wellness play a huge part in everyone’s daily lives, coaching can provide guidance, education, support, and clarity for people who need the motivation and help to commit to what needs to be done. Menzer says that “unless a person is living the perfect life and with a perfect family, anyone can benefit from health coaching.” Whether it is sleeping more, eating well, or working on a better fitness plan, everyone can benefit from a well-modulated health and wellness plan.

Health and wellness coaching can help people achieve results and “can help silence those inner gremlins that tell us we’re not good enough. The ‘should,’ the ‘musts,’ and the ‘oughts’ are what holds us back from our true potential,” Menzer says, and health and wellness coaching can help overcome such stumbling blocks. While it’s important to look for certified coaches, even those can be confusing because numerous degrees and certifications abound. The ACE Health Coach Certification is arguably the most well-known as well as those approved by the American College of Sports Medicine.

A Lifelong Lifestyle

Health and wellness coaching is not just important for physical fitness but also mental stability. The most important quality when looking for a coach is the ability to work together as a team. “It’s easy for someone to say he/she will do it, but it is another to be the person who makes sure the person goes through with it,” Menzer cautions. While coaches may be the people who help others achieve goals, it should be noted that, “not all power is held within the action of training but rather the comfort level of each person’s journey,” meaning that no one should compare themselves to someone else’s progress because availing of a coach’s services is not about competition but the journey.

Menzer believes in the art of healing without overly relying on traditional medicines and encourages people to find their own ways to help remedy what’s ailing their bodies. Instead of taking Ibuprofen for pain for example, one can make a lifestyle change by stretching and increasing muscle movement on a daily basis to incorporate exercises into a daily routine. This might help decrease the dosage needed and work to complement traditional medicines.

Health and wellness coaching leads people to a lifestyle that is proactive rather than reactive and can help improve the longevity and overall quality of life. Not only does health and wellness coaching give you confidence and determination to quiet those “inner gremlins” it can help you achieve real goals no matter how big or small and make wellness a lifelong commitment.